Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking

The journey that Fairport Convention have made in four albums and two years is one of the most remarkable in British pop music.

These records feature some of the most famous names not only in British music, but in world music.

From a group of school friends who set out to become "the British Jefferson Airplane," the group evolved over the course of their first quartet of releases into the leading exponents of British folk rock.

Just as American folk and blues looked back to gospel songs and spirituals, Fairport drew on the wealth of traditional English folk songs and combined them with rock rhythms to create something groundbreaking that quickly found imitators.

For many, this was the first time they heard the considerable talents of Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Ashley Hutchings, Ian Matthews, Dave Swarbrick and Dave Mattacks on one record.

Ian Matthews left the group during the recording of Unhalfbricking, and they decided not to replace him.

The album was recorded between January and April 1969 and shows that the band was gaining confidence. The material is strong, and their covers of three Bob Dylan songs (including material from the then bootleg The Basement Tapes) spawned a Top 30 hit single in the UK, Si Ti Dois Partir ? a cover of "If You Gotta Go, Go Now," sung in French.

Sandy Denny contributes her key song, "Who Knows Where The Time Goes," and most notable is "A Sailor's Life," a traditional folk song arranged by Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson.

The ballad builds over 11 minutes to a veritable wig-out with a guest appearance by Dave Swarbrick on fiddle.